Oscar's POV
I pulled her closer to me when the lights started to flash. People screamed my name demanding to know who the girl was. I led her through the paps, checking to see the expression on her face. She was grinning slightly unsure of what was occurring. Pulling her closer, though I didn't think that was possible I led her through the door of the restaurant. The room we enter was dark, only lit by a few overhead flashing lights.
"I'm sorry Martha," I apologized as we found a table. "I didn't think they'd be here."
"Don't worry about it," she placed her hand on mine. "They can't come in here, right?"
I nodded, glad that she was so okay with it.
It wasn't long before Felix and Mary joined us. I smiled at them as they sat down across from us.
"This is gonna be fun," Felix grinned ear to ear.
A waitress came and asked us what we wanted to drink.
The lady brought us our drinks and the food that Felix had ordered. We ate hungrily as we laughed and talked.
The night was passing much, much too quickly.
Felix and Mary excused themselves and headed for the dance floor. As much as I wanted to steal Martha and capture with the beat of the music, I scooted closer to her. We hadn't had much time to talk just the two of us. That's the only downside of having three best mates with you twenty-four hours.
"Thanks for bringing me tonight," she smiled causing her eyes to brighten. I hated when she did that. It made her so irresistible.
"Thanks for coming," I flashed back.
She started fiddling with her hands, "To be honest, I was really nervous about coming tonight."
"Why is that?"
"Because, I've been in London for a few weeks and I already feel like this is more of a home than Omaha was."
"Is that a bad thing?" I asked confused.
She sighed," No, it's a great thing. But last night as I lay in bed, my mind kept thinking. I hadn't realized how many walls I had built up until I started knocking them down. I am so tired of protecting myself. That's why I came here -to London. I was always one to play safe. One boyfriend. Two best friends. One small town. It had been the same thing for years. Now everything is changing and fast. It's scary to think about. Not only am I on a date with a boy who I really like, but that boy is a star. That's not what you are to me. You're just Oscar. But seeing the paparazzi... I know that the rumors will spread. But see, I'm happy. Mary told me not to worry about what other people say and do. That's what I'm trying to do and this is the happiest I've been in forever. Between Mary and Sarah and the other friends I've made at school to you and the boys. London is so much more than I could have ever dreamed of. But everything is so different."
I paused, making sure she was done. Then, I placed my hand on her cheek, gently stoking my thumb across her cheek bone. She turned her head towards my hand, accepting my comfort.
"Martha," I said her name with as much love as I could, "Don't push yourself so far you break. Nothing has to happen before you are ready. At any point in time, in any aspect of life, it's okay to take a step back and just look at the bigger picture. Take your time to figure things out. There is no rush with anything."
The advice could have been applied to any area of her life, but she and I both knew I was talking about our relationship.
She pulled her arm up from under the table, placing it on my hand that was still cupping her face.
